The pastor of a Republic church faces
three to 10 years in prison in Kansas on six sexual abuse charges that
date back to 1979.

Russell Winkler, pastor at Republic’s First
Christian Church for the past eight years, pleaded no contest to the
charges Friday in an Atchison, Kan., courthouse. The judge found him
guilty of six counts of aggravated enticement of a child.

The abuse
occurred between 1979 and 1981 while Winkler was associate pastor and
youth director of the First Christian Church in Atchison. The victims were
all boys, ages 12-13.

This is the second case in the past week when
an authority figure in the 8,438-person town of Republic has been charged
with sexual misconduct. Jerry Davis, a six-year veteran of the Republic
Police Department, was charged with sodomy, attempted child molestation
and sexual misconduct in connection with incidents that date back to the
late 1980s. He pleaded not guilty when arraigned Monday.

Winkler,
57, was arrested Dec. 7 in Republic, where he was released on bond. He
returned Friday to Atchison to appear before District Court Judge Martin
Asher, Atchison County Attorney Gerald Kuckelman said.

Sentencing
has been set for Feb. 8. The Class D felonies carry a possible prison term
of three to 10 years, Kuckelman said.

The charges surfaced in
September when a victim reported the abuse to the regional office of the
church in Topeka, Kan. The report was then turned over to law enforcement
officials in Atchison County.

Jim Burks, chairman of the board at
the Republic church, said he first learned of the charges in October when
he and Winkler were called into the regional office in Springfield, but
Burks took no action.

“At that time it was just accusations and
(Winkler) was saying he had no idea what surrounded this,” Burks said.

Winkler has since admitted his guilt to Burks, the elder said.

“I had to ask for his resignation at that time,” he
said.

Winkler is expected to turn in his resignation at the board’s
meeting on Sunday. Messages left at Winkler’s home and the church were not
immediately answered.

Winkler’s credentials with the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) have been stripped, said the Rev. Patsie
Sweeden, regional minister and president, Christian Church in
Kansas.

“I have received a letter … and his standing has been
removed,” she said. “It means he has no authority, no ability to function
within our system.”

Burks said the pastor has not been in the
pulpit, except for one Sunday, since the allegations surfaced, but said
that was due to health problems. Winkler underwent surgery in late
October, Burks said.

The person who originally reported the
incidents in Kansas had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for several
years as a result of the abuse, Kuckelman said.

Reporting the abuse
was part of that treatment, he added.

An investigation turned up
another five men who said they had been abused as adolescents.

“We
believe that there were more young men involved,” Kuckelman said. “Several
of these victims were very reluctant (to give statements). They are now
adults. Some own businesses in the area.”

Burks said the Republic
church has not investigated to determine if there are any additional
victims in the eight years that Winkler has served as pastor
there.

“This is not the same man that committed these things 21
years ago. This is a different man,” Burks said.

Marion Erit, a
deacon in the Atchison church, said she doesn’t believe Winkler has any
more victims.

“I feel like whatever happened to Russ 20 years ago,
he has since married, has a teen-age son. I don’t feel like he is a sexual
predator,” she said. “It’s very unlikely anything happened of this nature
since it happened 20 years ago.”

Winkler also served in churches in
Rocky Ford, Colo., and Hebron, Neb., before coming to
Republic.

Theresa Schulz, a Springfield psychologist who
specializes in sexual abuse cases, said it is possible for any abuser to
stop, “but it’s fairly rare.”

She is not surprised by the support
Winkler has received. People are more likely to accept the guilt of a
person they don’t know, she said.

“If they know the person, it’s a
different story.”

Covering up for a sexual abuser has its biggest
impact on the victims, she said.

“It makes it very difficult for
them to acknowledge what has happened and feel that the bad guy is caught
and due punishment is rendered. I think it’s a terrible message to the
community,” she said.

The best outcome from this incident is
heightened awareness, Schulz said.

Darrell Crick, interim police
chief in Republic, agrees.

“This raises awareness, raises concern.
There’s a renewed vigilance on things like that,” he said. “Even though
it’s a sad thing, it’s sometimes a positive impact on us to know that we
are not without crime.